The title pretty much says it, but I read somewhere that Catherine the Great had a tattoo/tattoos, but none of the sites I find this information seem super reliable, plus they all copy and pasted the same sentence about monarchs and tattoos (at least of the ones that I found). Do any more reliable sources also say this? Are there any descriptions of the tattoo exist, or images? Do these resources exist for other monarchs? Was there a similar stigma to tattoos during these periods, and was it in dual for monarchs to get tattoos?
One of the most celebrated examples of the royal tattoo was that worn by King Carl John (Charles XIV) of Sweden, who reigned 1818-44.
Prior to his adoption as heir to the elderly and childless King Charles XIII, he had begun his career as Jean Bernadotte, the son of a French lawyer, eventually rising to become one of the 18 marshals of Napoleon's armies. Bernadotte's military career had taken off during the French revolutionary period, during which, as a symbol of his commitment to the egalitarian cause, he is said to have had himself tattooed with the slogan "Mort Aux Rois" on one arm.
Having acceded to the Swedish throne, Bernadotte made every effort to keep the tattoo secret, but, according to De La Siboutie, word of it emerged via his doctor:
It is said that Bernadotte the King would never consent to be bled, although his private physician was a great believer in the remedy. On one occasion, however, he was forced to submit, as the doctor declined otherwise to be responsible for his life. "Well, do as you wish," said the King at last, "but you must never tell anybody what you see on my arm!" And turning up his shirt-sleeve he exhibited a tattoo mark consisting of a Phrygian cap with the motto "Death To All Kings!"
Sources
Dunbar Plunket Barton, The Amazing Career of Bernadotte 1763 to 1844 (London, 1929), p. 347
Frances de la Siboutie, Recollections of a Parisian (New York, 1911), p.164.
Other examples of tattooed monarchs were Frederick IX of Denmark (pictured here), Edward VII and George V of Britain (the latter of whom acquired his during service with the Royal Navy) and Alfonso XII of Spain, at least three of whom were tattooed by the same man, George Burchett, who had a studio on the Isle of Dogs in London's dockland. Edward and George were also tattooed in Japan by the master tattooist Hori Chyo. If you look online, you will find numerous images said to show George V's Japanese tattoo, a dragon. Unfortunately, a letter written by the future king suggests this is unlikely to be accurate; he wrote: "...we have been tattooed by the same old man who tattooed papa, and the same thing too, five crosses. You ask Papa to show you his arm." Edward VII is also said to have been adorned with a Jerusalem Cross inked by François Souwan.
Meanwhile, Princess Waldemar of Denmark (neé Marie of Órleans, 1865-1909) sported what's described as "a honking great anchor on her arm", which can be seen in this portrait.
Sources
Stephen Crabbe, "Ink Stigma", The Conversation, accessed 26 March 2018
David Thomas, Royal Admirals, 1327-1981 (1982)
